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New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Omar likely to attend Shah meet on Indus water projects
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a high-level meeting this week with Union Minister of Jal Shakti CR Patil and Cabinet colleagues from the power, irrigation, and renewable energy departments to discuss strategies for accelerating hydropower projects that have stalled or slowed down due to Pakistan's objections. This will be Shah's third meeting with Patil following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Under the IWT, India had to notify Pakistan at least six months before starting any projects. However, since the treaty has been suspended, India is not obligated to seek consent or opinions from riparian states. The context for this meeting stems from the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in the death of 26 Indians. In response, India decided to suspend the 65-year-old IWT due to Pakistan's ongoing support for terrorism. According to sources close to the development, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to attend the meeting. In reaction to the suspension, Abdullah stated that the IWT is an unjust document for Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasised that while water sharing between the two nations is a matter of national interest, it has disadvantaged Jammu and Kashmir. At least six hydro projects and one navigation project have been pending for the last two decades. These include Sawalkot (1850 MW) on the Chenab River, proposed Kirthai 1 & 2 (1320 MW) projects in the Ramban and Udhampur districts, Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Bursar (800 MW), and Kiru (624 MW).
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BJP slams Jamiat chief for questioning suspension of Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan
BJP's national spokesperson, Shahnawaz Hussain, slammed Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Arshad Madani for questioning the practicality of stopping river water flows to Pakistan. The BJP leader claimed that there was anger among members of the Muslim community over the Jamiat chief's statement. 'I condemn this statement. This is a very objectionable statement. Pakistan can conduct a blood bath, and we can't even stop their water? What kind of advice is this? He is saying there shouldn't be a is anger amongst the Muslim community also, for the kind of statement made by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind,' Hussain told ANI. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Arshad Madani questioned the practicality of the Indus Waters Treaty move, saying that stopping river water flow to Pakistan won't be easy. 'If someone stops water, let them stop it... These rivers have been flowing for thousands of years, where will you take their water? It's not easy. I think the rule should be one of love and not hatred. I am a Muslim, I am spending my life here in this country, and I know that the things which are being promoted here are not suitable for the country,' Madani said. After the Centre suspended the IWT, Jal Shakti minister CR Paatil said that India would not allow a 'single drop' of water to flow into Pakistan as a retaliation against its role in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. HT reported on Monday that authorities are expected to swiftly complete all technical requirements for the proposed Sawalkot project—likely to be the largest project—on the river Chenab in Ramban and Udhampur districts of J&K. 'The plans to create additional power generation include projects that will be commissioned at Sawalkot (1,856 MW), Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Bursar (800 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kirthai 1 and 2 (1,320 MW) hydropower projects, which will be fully synchronisable with the national grid,' an official said. The project is part of plans to create nearly 12 gigawatts (GW) of additional hydropower from new projects on the Indus rivers. India also cut off water flow to Pakistan from the Baglihar dam on the Chenab River and is also preparing to taper down runoffs from the Kishanganga project on the Jhelum River. Under the IWT, Pakistan has exclusive rights to use the water of the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus rivers, with India allowed a few exceptions.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Plans afoot to create 12 GW from new Indus projects
India will soon get going on plans to create nearly 12 giga watts (GW) of additional hydropower from new projects on the Indus rivers, for which feasibility studies have been ordered, two people aware of the matter said. Ongoing projects on the river system will add about 2.5 GW, but construction of these hydropower plants has been hobbled by 'constraints and unfavourable terms' of the now-paused Indus water treaty, an official said. Authorities in the Jal Shakti ministry and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation are working to expedite all projects under construction, following a high-level meet chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah on April 25, the official added. The country suspended the six-decade-old Indus water treaty with Pakistan, already strained by long-running disputes, a day after terrorists linked to the neighbouring country killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22. Authorities are expected to move swiftly on completing all technical requirements for a proposed Sawalkot project — likely to be the largest project — on the river Chenab in Ramban and Udhampur districts in Jammu and Kashmir. 'The plans to create additional power generation include projects that will be commissioned at Sawalkot (1,856 MW), Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW) Bursar (800 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kirthai 1 and 2 (1,320 MW) hydropower projects, which will be fully synchronisable with the national grid,' a second official said. The pause in the Indus treaty was among a raft of measures announced by India to downgrade ties following the Pahalgam terror attack. These steps will be in force until Pakistan 'credibly and irrevocably abjures from supporting cross-border terrorism', the Centre has said. India has been calling for a re-negotiation of the water-sharing pact due to diminishing flow rates in rivers running through Kashmir, owing to natural changes in the basin itself over time. The Indus basin has been shrinking due to lower freshwater outflows, according to a recent report of the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Pakistan has objected to projects on the Indian side, especially the proposed Ratle project and Kishenganga dam (now operational), seeking international arbitration and alleging the latter violated the Indus pact, according to claims filed by the country in a court of arbitration. India has rejected these charges. In 2017, India completed construction of the Kishanganga dam, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in May 2018. However, it had to be stopped several times, including in 2011, as Pakistan moved for arbitration. Jal Shakti minister CR Patil met home minister Shah for the second time in a week on April 30 to update the latter on the current status of dams and reservoirs on the Indian side of the Indus river system, including legal aspects related the decision to pause the water-sharing pact, a person familiar with the matter said.
Mint
29-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
India to fast-track hydropower plans on Pakistan-bound rivers after treaty suspension
New Delhi: India plans to speed up hydropower projects on rivers flowing into Pakistan after it suspended the Indus Water Treaty last week, two people aware of the matter said. The Centre is also exploring the possibility of building new projects on the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, and their tributaries. The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960 through the mediation of the World Bank for sharing of river waters between India and Pakistan, was suspended by India following the killing of 26 people by terrorists in Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April. The treaty had capped India's storage capacity on these rivers at 3.6 maf (million acre feet). With the treaty now suspended, India can build hydropower dams and reservoirs for flood control on them. It is estimated that average annual runoff of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab is 136 maf, of which 40% (around 54 maf) comes from the Indian catchment. State-run NHPC will expedite the commissioning of Sawalkot (1,856 MW), Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW) Bursar (800 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kirthai 1 and 2 (1,320 MW) hydropower projects, among others, the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity. Also read | EIB working with public sector companies to fund Indian green hydrogen projects: VP Beer 'A few projects were taken up a few years ago, but they did not gain pace or were held up," one of the persons said. 'Now, the work on those projects will gain momentum. Ratle is under construction, and Sawalkot is one of the key projects that would see progress." 'Currently, the matter is in discussion stage and we are working on the modalities," said an official with Jal Shakti department, irrigation & flood control in the state government on the condition of anonymity. The detailed project report for Sawalkot project on the Chenab river is complete, but work is yet to begin, and construction of the Ratle project (on Chenab) is underway, which would require around two years for commissioning. Likewise, the detailed project report (DPR) for Kirthai 2 on the Chenab is in the works, while that of Kirthai 1 is yet to be made. The Kiru hydro electric project on the Chenab river is in advanced stages of completion, and is expected to take a year to finish, the second person cited above said. Read this | Non-stop renewable energy key to lowering green hydrogen prices: Gentari CEO Proposed projects that have been objected to by Pakistan till date include Salal, Uri-I, Dulhasti, Baglihar, Uri-II, Kishanganga, Pakal Dul, Ratle, and Kiru, among others. Queries mailed to the Union power ministry, Jal Shakti ministry and NHPC remained unanswered till press time. 'With the current infrastructure, what India can immediately do is not share data in terms of water flow to Pakistan and hold for some time or even turn on the water flow without informing Pakistan," said Abhay Kumar Singh, former chairman and managing director of NHPC Ltd. 'The decision to put the treaty in abeyance has therefore raised concerns in Pakistan as it would keep them uncertain of the water flow." The move to suspend the treaty is expected to hit the eastern neighbour hard, with an estimated 80% of its agriculture dependent on water from the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. To be sure, building such projects in the rugged terrain of J&K has its own set of challenges apart from the Indus Water Treaty. A former member of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said on condition of anonymity that surprises thrown up by the terrain and the topography tend to hamper the projects sometimes. Also read | AM Green and DP World join hands to develop global green hydrogen supply chain 'Given that the mountains there are largely young, there are chances of landslides or landslips if tunnels are constructed," this person said. 'However, if proper investigation is done and shear zones and fracture zones (which are more vulnerable) are taken care of, then the projects can be successful." Even before the Indus Water Treaty was suspended, India had written to Pakistan twice in the past two years, seeking modification of the treaty. After the decision to suspend the treaty was taken, Debashree Mukherjee, secretary at the Union ministry of Jal Shakti, informed her Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza, of the move. In the letter dated 24 April to the ministry of water resources of Pakistan, Mukherjee referred to the previous notices from India seeking modification and attributed the proposed changes to factors including the need for renewable energy, in this case hydro power. The letter noted that previous communications cited fundamental changes in the circumstances that have taken place since the treaty was executed that require a reassessment of obligations under the treaty. 'These changes include significantly altered population demographics, the need to accelerate the development of clean energy, and other changes in the assumptions underlying the sharing of waters under the Treaty," the letter said. India has identified potential hydro power capacity of 18,217 MW or 18.21 GW on the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, of which the latter alone has potential for 14GW. The operational projects in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) that fall under the purview of the treaty include Kishanganga, Uri I and II, Dulhasti, Baglihar and Sewa projects with a cumulative capacity of over 3.3GW. Detailed project reports or preliminary feasibility reports have been prepared for another 12.25GW capacity of hydro projects on these rivers, with another 2.56 GW under construction. Read this | Broken dams, crippled plants: Climate calamities hike insurance costs for hydropower firms 'With the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, India would now be able to take up projects which have been planned for a long time but Pakistan has objected to," said NHPC's former chairman Singh, while further pointing out that there is no large storage capacity as of now as the treaty did not permit it. While there is no operational capacity for storage currently, the Pakal Dul project on the Marusudar river, a tributary of the Chenab, which is under construction, has a planned storage capacity of 0.09 maf. Then, cumulative capacity of 2.23 maf has been identified for the Pakal Dul, Bursar, Wardwan Bursar, Gyspa, and Ratle projects. Singh added that storage capacities can now be created that would add to both hydro power abilities and flood mitigation. Singh further said that reservoir capacity of the Salal project, which has significantly reduced due to prohibition on desilting through slushing under the treaty, can also be now revived as slushing of the silt can be done without intimating Pakistan. He also said that for the planned projects that are mostly run-of-the-river projects, planning new large reservoirs would require new DPRs, thereby adding a few more years to the process. Meanwhile, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General tabled in the Parliament in March 2023 raised concerns over the slow progress of hydro power projects in J&K. It noted that the lack of ease of doing business for independent power producers (IPPs) should be addressed and the state hydro power policy 2011 needed to be revisited. And read | NTPC arm in talks with HPCL, Hindalco for green hydrogen JVs It also said that the state government and concerned government agencies need to ensure feasible identification of sites, prompt DPR finalization, handholding of IPPs in land acquisition and statutory clearances as well as obtaining of finances, and helping IPPs come forward for taking up projects. 'In respect of EPC projects developed by JKPDC (Jammu & Kashmir Power Development Corporation), completion of projects in a time-bound manner may be ensured apart from installation of power evacuation system before commissioning of projects," it had said.
